[CT Birds] Important message

[imbercj--- via CTBirds]

A message from the COA President and the CT Birds Moderator:

Communications Resources for Birders in Connecticut

The CT Birds listserv began as a tool to report rarities and notable birds some 20 years ago, using the email technology that was new at the time. It replaced a system where birders could report rarities (or call in to find out about them) using the telephone. Today, there are instant message technologies to get alerts out quickly and these have the added benefits of location and photo sharing.

Unfortunately, a proliferation of these new technologies led to some fragmentation and confusion in our Connecticut birding community, and at the same time reports of notable birds on CT Birds have declined as many of the listers and chasers have adopted the new instant message tools.

Recognizing this reality, and since birding is about more than chasing rarities, we would like CT Birds to become more than an additional alert resource. We hope that future posts on CT Birds will emphasize migration trends and patterns, discussion of birds and birding issues, notify birders of events and activities, raise questions and seek assistance, and generally serve as a birding community discussion forum for birders at all levels of expertise. We hope and expect that Connecticut’s more experienced and active birders will continue to contribute discoveries, expertise, and assistance to the birding community via CT Birds.

Below are some birding communications resources available - each is listed with its primary purpose:

•     CT Birds will be an open discussion group as described above. A new set of guidelines is being developed and will be released soon. The CT Birds listserv will continue to be moderated by Chuck Imbergamo under the new guidelines which will include the standard rules of civility and relevance. Sign up for CT Birds here: ctbirds...@lists.ctbirding.org

•     CT RBA GroupMe group is an instant message application for your smartphone. This tool is intended for reporting truly RARE birds for our state. Examples would be vagrant birds from other regions and birds considered rare on migration. There is a limited list of birds which should be reported using this tool. You can join the CT RBA group here: https://groupme.com/join_group/83300607/1yz3Vwak

•     eBird, from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is widely considered to be the best place to record sightings of any and all birds, rare or not. We encourage all Connecticut birders to create eBird reports to contribute valuable data to the eBird database. eBird also provides hourly or daily alerts of rare birds in a given area, statewide or countywide, among many other useful features. You can sign up for eBird at https://ebird.org/home and then manage alerts for specific areas here https://ebird.org/alerts

Among COA’s organizational objectives are to
• promote an interest in and an appreciation of birds;
• disseminate accurate scientific information about birds and their habitats; and
• help facilitate understanding and cooperation between the ornithological community and the general public.

We intend to further these objectives in part through the existing CT Birds listserv and we hope all Connecticut birders will participate, with thanks to those that do.


Christopher Wood
COA President
Woodbury

Chuck Imbergamo
CT Birds Moderator
Madison

To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send an email with just "join" or "leave" in the subject or body to: ctbirds...@lists.ctbirding.org

CTBirds, a service of Connecticut Ornithological Association - Bringing birders together statewide. Please support COA: https://www.ctbirding.org/join-us/

CTBirds is for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut. For list rules and subscription information visit: https://www.ctbirding.org/birds-birding/ct-birds-email-list/

[Aidan Kiley via CTBirds]

Thanks for this, Chuck, Chris, and all the other birders who have
participated in recent discussions on the topic of bird reporting!

I want to add a few notes on the RBA (on GroupMe).

It is very strictly run. As Chuck states, there is a specific list of birds
to report. There is no discussion allowed- only for these rare sightings.

There is a list of group rules that I ask all members read before
participating. It can also be found in the pinned post at the top of the
group once you join.

The rules can be found at this link:

bit.ly/ctgroupme

If there are questions about the RBA, please reach out to myself or Chase
McCabe (Co-Admin).

—-

Information on the other alert system on GroupMe that I run, called
Connecticut Birding, can be found on the RBA group rules document. I can
also provide the link or information on it. That group is for reports of
notable birds that do not quite reach the level of true rarity, plus storm
birding planning, and real-time updates on migration conditions. No ID
requests, random talk or photo sharing, or common birds are allowed.

**If anyone is not familiar with GroupMe, it is a messaging app that can be
found in the Apple App Store or Android Google Play store. Once downloaded,
it will prompt you to make a simple account. If it asks for your phone
number, it needs to be your cell. Do not click any invite links before your
app is up and running (you’ll be able to see Chats at the top of your
screen) or else it will cause an issue.

Thanks again to everyone for the work that has been done to clarify these
channels.

Best,

Aidan Kiley
Fairfield

[Aidan Kiley via CTBirds]

Hi folks:

Wanted to follow up with sharing the invite link for the Connecticut
Birding alert on GroupMe directly.

If you join, please read the rules document which can be found in pinned at
the top of the group or at this link:

tinyurl.com/ctbirding

Joe Pescatore is the co-admin. Many thanks to Joe and Chase for their admin
help!

Join link:

https://groupme.com/join_group/95922127/yWPxygnW

Best,

Aidan Kiley
Fairfield

[Andrew Block via CTBirds]

I hope people still do post rarities here since for some this and the FB group is the only place they get reports.  I know I'm in the minority, but not everyone is interested in using those phone apps.  If you could use them on a computer then maybe I would use them.  These lists were  a wonderful place to get rarity reports and it's a shame people have moved away from them in most states.  I loved getting a rarity report and will miss them.  A shame.  Sad.  I see so many less rarities now:-(  I will probably leave the list if rarities are not posted here anymore.  
Andrew
Andrew BlockConsulting Naturalist
Yonkers, New York www.flickr.com/photos/conuropsis/albums

[Deirdra Wallin via CTBirds]

1. I would appreciate still getting reports here too, though I did sign up
for the group today via Aiden’s link.
2. Watched Joes documentary today and enjoyed it-thank you for sharing that
with us and all of the time and work you put into it.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=U2XQeEaQlgQ
3. I would definitely also appreciate discussion and sharing of other
information on this list serve such as migration, and people’s favorite
birding spots and such. It’s nice to read people’s personal perspectives
and experiences. It also helps us to be on the look out for different birds
that might be passing through.
All in all, I do appreciate this list serv!
Sincerely,
Deirdra Wallin
Brookfield

[James Muchmore via CTBirds]

Hola, I don’t use the apps. Nor will I. I do like this service.

Thanks,

Jim
Sent from my iPhone

> On Aug 8, 2024, at 5:44 PM, Andrew Block via CTBirds <ctb...@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
>
> I hope people still do post rarities here since for some this and the FB group is the only place they get reports. I know I'm in the minority, but not everyone is interested in using those phone apps. If you could use them on a computer then maybe I would use them. These lists were a wonderful place to get rarity reports and it's a shame people have moved away from them in most states. I loved getting a rarity report and will miss them. A shame. Sad. I see so many less rarities now:-( I will probably leave the list if rarities are not posted here anymore.

[imbercj--- via CTBirds]

Hi Andrew and Deirdra -

I'm glad you asked these questions and I am replying to all since others are likely wondering the same thing.

There's nothing wrong with continuing to post rarities on CT Birds! I always try to cross-post to this listserv when I see rarity reports on the GroupMe or other places like Facebook. I will continue to do so, and I would encourage everyone on CT Birds to do the same.

If you know of a rare bird, it couldn't hurt to let the CT Birds community know!

I hope this clears things up.

Chuck Imbergamo
CT Birds Moderator
Madison

________________________________
From: Deirdra Wallin via CTBirds <ctb...@lists.ctbirding.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 8, 2024 6:10 PM
To: Andrew Block <abloc...@yahoo.com>
Cc: CT Birds <ctb...@lists.ctbirding.org>; imb...@comcast.net <imb...@comcast.net>
Subject: [CT Birds] Re: Important message

> Yonkers, New York www.flickr.com/photos/conuropsis/albums<http://www.flickr.com/photos/conuropsis/albums>

[Dana Campbell via CTBirds]

Thanks, Chuck. You're the best. I am afraid that this segmentation forcing
people onto phone apps is, in my opinion, a classist move. Not everyone in
my acquaintance can afford new phones, internet service, and new apps. I
fear we are shutting some folks out, which makes me very sad. I was just
saying to Andrew that I had been trying to get a young birder plugged in to
the birding community, but that she lives on a shoestring and simply cannot
afford high tech.
I am so grateful for your cross posting! Perhaps COA needs to move beyond
the rarified Ffld County air? (speaking as a person whose family lived for
decades there) I guess this move simply institutionalizes what has been
happening among some.
Sigh.
Dana

On Thu, Aug 8, 2024, 9:33 PM imbercj--- via CTBirds <

[Matthew Bell via CTBirds]

I can understand thinking it could be “classist”, but I think more overall it’s generational. Connecticut is one of the few remaining states with an active listserv. The rest have all died as younger people continue to join the birding community and prefer apps such as WhatsApp, Discord, and GroupMe. If you travel to any state and want to be in the know, you have to have at least one of those three because there’s no immediate information anymore on email chains. It’s all text-based. In fact, most young birders laugh at listservs and don’t take them seriously, from what I’ve witnessed. I know I’ve had discussions with multiple CT birders over the last couple years as to how surprising it is that our listserv has survived while almost every other has died.

For example: 50 birding listserv emails have been sent across the whole USA today, with 12 of them coming from CT, the 3rd smallest state. It’s an example of how much things have changed.

It’s also not just listservs that have taken a hit. For years, Facebook has been the bridge between listservs and texting. But even now, younger people are shunning Facebook and many rare birds don’t even make it to statewide RBA groups or nationwide ones for hours, if not days, when previously it would be within seconds of an initial report coming through. It’s just a sign of the continual changing times.

A reminder that you don’t need a smartphone though, to access any of the apps. GroupMe has a web portal (https://web.groupme.com/signin) and the other ones I mentioned, WhatsApp and Discord, both have desktop apps for both PC and Mac computers. If you do have the GroupMe app, it’s also worth noting that MA, RI, NJ, ME, and NH are all also on GroupMe, so if you want links to those groups as well just ask and someone (including myself) can get you in the invite link. And of course, crossposting of mega rarities will continue. That’s something that definitely can't be forgotten.

-Matt Bell
Vernon

[Paul Plotnick via CTBirds]

I'm 90 years old and don't have a so-called smartphone. This is my only
source of CT birding news.
What does all this mean to me and the few remaining old-time birders like
me?

Paul Plotnick
Stamford

On Thu, Aug 8, 2024 at 11:12 PM Matthew Bell via CTBirds <

[Mark Szantyr via CTBirds]

It means we are out of luck.
Mark Szantyr
Storrs, CT




> On Aug 9, 2024, at 7:13 AM, Paul Plotnick via CTBirds <ctb...@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
>
> I'm 90 years old and don't have a so-called smartphone. This is my only

[Chuck Imbergamo via CTBirds]

You are not really out of luck; it just means you have to be flexible and roll with the changes.

Many years ago (1993?), I was lucky to attend a presentation by Bill Gates. He talked about the future and how people would have ‘information at their fingertips’. Myself and many others’ eyes glazed over with puzzled doubt, since at the time cell phones had the ability, at best, to text by typing numbers on the keypad repeatedly to generate just one letter. But oh, have times have changed!

The benefit of smartphones and new technology is that, just as Gates envisioned, we now have information available in our hand, wherever we are, across almost the entire globe.

As a bit of background for our post: Several months ago, a group who run various messaging systems in CT, together with COA President Chris Wood, met to discuss the fact that there were so many apps popping up that our community was becoming fragmented. We decided that a consolidation of the groups would benefit the Connecticut birding community. As a result, at least two other instant message systems were shut down.

We decided to support the two GroupMe groups, and it is strongly recommended that you join one or both of them to get the most up-to-date information about notable birds being seen in our area. Information at your fingertips, indeed!

I want to clarify that at the same time, we are hoping that CT Birds becomes MORE useful rather than less. CT Birds has the opportunity to become more of a discussion forum where knowledge can be shared about trends, hotspots, more in-depth information about bird behavior and a general sharing of knowledge.

I hope this helps clarify things! As Matt pointed out earlier, these apps are the wave of the future and many other listservs are being shut down. It is up to us to continue to support CT Birds with sharing of knowledge.

Chuck Imbergamo
CT Birds Moderator
Madison

> On Aug 9, 2024, at 9:39 AM, Mark Szantyr <birdi...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> It means we are out of luck.

[C Wood via CTBirds]

Not yet. We intend to keep CTBirds as a reliable and dependable resource about birds, birding, and birders in Connecticut for all birders, not just listers and chasers.

Chris

Chris Wood
President - Connecticut Ornithological Association

Woodbury, CT
203 558-0654

[FRANK GALLO via CTBirds]

Hi all,
If I'm understanding correctly, no one is out of luck. Those who want just rare bird sightings can subscribe to GroupMe. For those who want general discussion and rare bird sightings just continue to use the listserv. Nothing has really changed other than a specific realtime group rare bird alert has been added. Nothing is being taken away. The listserv will continue.  Chuck, and I, and others will continue to cross post rare birds to the listserv. 
Deep breath everyone. 
Frank Gallo
New Canaan

Sent from AOL on Android

On Fri, Aug 9, 2024 at 9:42 AM, Mark Szantyr via CTBirds<ctb...@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote: It means we are out of luck.